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Inside and outside of Oakland

Races to watch: A whole bunch

There's many races to watch today, dozens of ballot questions and a couple hundred candidates on the ballot, but there's none so compelling as these:

Will voters in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties approve a 0.2-mill property tax to support the Detroit Institute of Arts?

Will Republican write-in candidate Nancy Cassis, the hand-picked favorite of local Republicans, defeat Kerry Bentivolio of Milford for the GOP nomination to replace former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, whose re-election campaign destructed and who abruptly quite Congress?

What will be the outcome in the new Michigan 14th Congressional District, where Republican redistricting threw Democratic congressmen Hansen Clarke of Detroit and Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township into the same district, a district that stretches the imagination when it comes to gerrymandering?

Will tea party support lift Clark Durant of Wayne County past Pete Hoekstra of Holland in the GOP nominating race for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow in November?

What is the mood and will Oakland County voters approve the myriad of local tax renewals and some increases before them?